It is common knowledge that harvesting of soft fruit such as strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants, has so far been generally performed manually, which was and still is extremely hard work and involving a large number of workers. Since the pertinent fruit grows on thorn bushes and is, nowadays, grown on large plantations, the harvesting problem is larger in terms of both speed and hygiene, as it is necessary to meet the requirements of the International Food Standard (HACCP standard).
There are a number of documents found amongst the national patent documents concerning the harvesting of fruit.
There is a device for pome fruit harvesting, registered as a national patent under number 50064, which contains a bar with fruit catcher mechanism at the front end, and at the back end, there is an arm for opening/closing the fruit catcher mechanism using a rope. The device is easy to use in terms of its mass and the elements comprising it are very simple. In fact, the device is manually operated which means it is not for harvesting large quantities of fruit in a short period of time.
The nationally registered patent issued under number 44477 describes a mechanism for shaking trees with a hydraulic device for a fruit-picking combine harvester. The device comprises a vibrator on the shaking head support with hydraulics, vibrating grate racks and fork lift with a platform for crate filling. The tree clamp is adjusted with a hydraulic cylinder.
A briar picking device with a pass-brush for closing the entry part is described in the national patent application issued under number P-471/99. The device contains a head with briar keeping rail attached to the bottom end, and teeth forming arc expansions and diminutions, with a blade positioned opposite the expansions. The brush is used for passing briars in a single direction inside the head body.
The national patent application issued under number P-223/04 describes a device for harvesting drupes (cherries, plums . . . ) by shaking trees and is made as a stand-alone connecting set attached to a tractor. The device contains a clamp throat mechanism enabling fruit catching after which shaking is performed, and the fruits fall into the collecting umbrella made of tarpaulin from which they fall onto a conveyor and, meeting the air flow created by a fan, they are transported to packages (crates).
The nationally registered patent under number 47636 describes a fruit-harvesting device designed exclusively for harvesting by shaking trees, collecting, treating and filling packages and distribution to the ground. The structure includes a mechanical arm with bars, rack with a conveyor from which the fruits are directed towards the additional transporter. The harvesting device is attached to a tractor.
A solution describing a fruit shaker and collector is presented in the national patent registered under number 47590, containing a transporter with mechanical arms over a telescopic tube and a head used for shaking with hydraulic cylinders.
The nationally registered patent under number 47246 describes a fruit combine harvester used primarily for shaking, collecting and treating fruits, which is positioned on a tractor with a incorporated water pump, nozzle fan and crate holder.
The national document issued under number P-16/96 describes a fruit-harvesting mechanical arm including a head positioned on a long bar. A holder is used for lifting a branch, and by simultaneous pulling of the cable, the case slides downwards holding a toothed comb which separates the fruit that falls into a bag. By loosening the cable, the spring restores the bag with comb to the starting position and the action can be repeated.
The nationally registered small patent number 314 MP presents a device for harvesting strawberries and clearing grass in strawberry patches, where the device itself has a frame with wheels on a rail, with a crate-holding basket on top of the frame and an operator seat in the middle. As the frame moves along the rail, the operator also moves and picks strawberries and puts them into crates.
The nationally registered small patent number 65 MP describes package carrier for manual fruit harvesting with manually picked fruits stored in packages.
The nationally registered small patent number 488 MP describes the invention relating to an attachment for harvesting soft fruit, above all raspberries and blackberries on plantations. The attachment is positioned on a carriage and is powered by a tractor or cultivator. The invention has an induction and thrust hood, feeding box with attached fan powered by a power unit. Underneath the feeding box, there is an incorporated flap with counterweight that opens up according to the set weight of the fruits that enter the crates. The solution of the invention refers to air flow around the branches containing fruits, transporting the picked fruits under pressure to the feeding box, whereas torn leaves and broken branches leaves the channel and fan through a special opening on the thrust hood.
National patent application number P-651/04 presents a device for the direct collection of fruits when falling from trees, including grid sheathing as a truncated cone or pyramid. The grid sheathing is tight so the fruits falling inside freely enter the containers positioned around the tree. The purpose of the invention is collecting the ripe fruits that fall freely from the tree or by manual/mechanical shaking.
Amongst patent documentation there is a solution described within the national patent issued under number 50064, named ‘Pome Fruit Harvesting Device’, which contains a bar with fruit catcher mechanism at the front end, and at the back end, there is an arm for opening/closing the fruit catcher mechanism using a rope. The device is easy to use in terms of its mass (approximately 0.6 kg) and the simplicity of the elements comprising it. The device is manually operated which makes it unsuitable for harvesting large quantities at high speed.
The document marked as WO2000/033637 (PCT/TR1999/000054) describes a solution of a pneumatic harvesting machine for different crops. The unit is primarily used for harvesting of cotton, olives and roses. The unit provided with a cyclone is equally used for harvesting almonds, walnuts, and beans. Fruits collected in closed or open areas are cleared from dust, soil and rubbish. The pneumatic machine is envisaged for harvesting and collecting grains from both trees and the ground, clearing them from the dust, soil and rubbish, simultaneously selecting the fruits according to their size. The machine comprises a box with the chassis and mounted hydraulic arms, pulley and V-belt, chain redactor, blower fans, filters, valves, tubes and cyclones, whereas the box is attached to a tractor as the power unit.
The solution described in the document marked as WO2000/062594 (PCT/AU2000/000322) presents the method of a pneumatic collection apparatus, with multiple collection ducts and vacuum system. The ducts are positioned so their open ends are close to a tree or shrub from which fruits are harvested under the influence of vacuum. The outer ends of the ducts may be flared or of different forms in order to facilitate harvesting. The ducts may be rigid, semi-rigid or flexible. The inner ends of the ducts are connected to the harvested fruit collecting box.
Harvesting presents a special problem on sloped areas, hence the solution described in the document WO1996/032833 (PCT/US1995/005050), presenting processing using of water. The land is sloped on both sides with multiple levels and ducts containing water between those levels. Water flows under pressure onto the plants and fruits thus separating the fruits from the plants. Fruits fall into water and are collected from it using boats and conveyors or water elevators, which are provided with tubes for collecting food products from the water.
The document issued as U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,226 presents a mechanism for harvesting, cleaning and discharging mainly cotton, and it is supplied by a conduit extended to the fruit collecting chamber. The mechanism includes an air blower through which the air flows picks up the cotton bolls and moves them towards the conduit, a series of specially shaped rotors, as well as cross chambers and discharge means. Cotton bolls on the discharge means move towards another air channel, separating solid materials, twigs and other rubbish accumulated with the cotton.
Cotton harvester described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,857 presents a pneumatic apparatus with a pump creating pressure and vacuum. The device elements are provided with panels so the cotton is supplied to and from the pump using pressure and vacuum. A modified tractor is used power unit with two large driven wheels and one steerable wheel.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,096 describes a method and apparatus for cleaning cotton and the like, with an air stream created in a chamber and filter. Vibrators separate dirt from the collected products.
There is also an apparatus and system for collecting and cleaning lint, cotton or similar products described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,597. The device is suitable for a textile mill, the lumber industry and other air contaminating industrial processes. The device is provided with a drum filter and particle collecting device and chamber with the said filter on top, all within a bin structure.
The American patent document U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,911 describes a nut harvester for harvesting products from plantations. The harvester uses compressed air passing through Venturi tubes, creating a vacuum inside the channel, thus sucking nuts into it.
There is also a solution for a mechanical fruit picker described in the American patent document U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,561 where the picker includes a vacuum-operating tube mounted to a tractor. The vacuum is created by a fan blower mounted to the tractor.
The American patent document U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,798 presents a vacuum operated machine for harvesting fruit from trees, comprising a picker head connected to an air blower which is connected to an airflow control valve. The machine has a discharge valve connected to the airflow control valve by means of multiple rigid or flexible channels that are rounded or cylindrical. The picker head comprises inlet and outlet channels or tubes, sloped on the side of inlet channels between the inlets. The vacuum pump as the source is connected to the support and engine by a belt. The entire conveyance is mobile and provided with support securing the engine connected to the transmission that operates the wheels.
There are a number of vacuum operated pickers for harvesting fruits from trees, and one such type with sections of rigid and flexible tubes and channels is presented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,545,072; 3,473,312 and 3,664,104. The advantage of such machines is, above all, the possibility to pick very large quantities of fruit from trees.
The majority of the said solutions are created for shaking the fruit trees, which additionally harms the fruit itself, and so they are less and less used in practice. Some of the solutions are based on improvements in manual harvesting of fruit which is extremely slow, hard and expensive.
Following this field of agriculture, especially soft fruit harvesting, the inventor has found a new solution to the picker, which will be thoroughly described herein.